“Sonically speaking, this track fires on all cylinders, rendering a post-modern nihilism through incendiary technical intensity, and its lyrical themes are pretty chilling too…Using 3D animations of mass crowds committing destruction and suicide, ‘180-Degree Murder’ is every bit as mind-bending in its visual form as it is musically.” – Everything Is Noise
Transatlantic extreme/progressive tech metal duo WESTON SUPER MAIM today debut their official video for “180-Degree Murder.” Now playing at Everything Is Noise, the track comes off the pair’s eponymous EP, released last month via Dark Trail Records.
WESTON SUPER MAIM has been lurking in the shadows as a one-man recording project spearheaded by UK musician Tom Stevens (All Of Space, Brown Stratos) for some time, however 180-Degree Murder marks a new level of intent, with US-based Seth Detrick of Los Angeles thrash outfit PDP uniting with Stevens to handle vocal duties. Together the pair deliver a devastatingly heavy, surprisingly melodic journey through the extreme metal landscape.
Offers Stevens of the compelling video, “We wanted to make the most visually insane video possible, to match the craziness of the music, and it feels like we just about got there. The 3D animation is by UK designer Ben Koppel – I stumbled across his work on Instagram and immediately thought it was perfect for the song. It’s actually some work that he had already created independently and was kind enough to let us use for the video. The rest of the shots we amateurishly filmed at home, and then I spent several hundred hours editing it all together because I have no clue how to edit videos. Still, it turned out pretty good, and we are disturbingly excited to finally be able to share it!”
Adds Everything Is Noise, “Sonically speaking, this track fires on all cylinders, rendering a post-modern nihilism through incendiary technical intensity, and its lyrical themes are pretty chilling too…Using 3D animations of mass crowds committing destruction and suicide, ‘180-Degree Murder’ is every bit as mind-bending in its visual form as it is musically. The sight of 1000 ragdoll Ronald McDonalds leaping of a cliff may be daft in both concept and appearance, but it’s an undeniably fitting companion to a dissonant technical breakdown as their bodies crash to the earth with rapturous impact.”
View WESTON SUPER MAIM’s “180-Degree Murder” video HERE.
180-Degree Murder is available on CD, vinyl, and digitally on all streaming platforms. For digital orders, visit the WESTON SUPER MAIM Bandcamp page at THIS LOCATION where the EP can be streamed in full. For CD and vinyl orders, visit the Dark Trail Bandcamp page HERE.
Written as a single track, 180-Degree Murder traverses caveman heaviness, tech-driven grooves, and shifting melodic patterns to create an immersive experience that rewards multiple listens. The writing process for the EP began in 2019. By the time the pandemic hit, an early instrumental draft had already been recorded, but it wasn’t until Detrick joined the project in June 2020 that things really began to take shape. Making use of extra time at home in London during the first UK lockdown, Stevens retracked instruments for the EP at his home studio while Detrick developed lyrical ideas and vocal patterns from his home in Eugene, Oregon. Vocal tracking was completed in early 2021, and the mix not long thereafter.
Thematically, the EP is on one hand a disdainful take on the state of contemporary society and collective human behavior, with a healthy apocalyptic vibe. On another, it has a more complex, introspective element, with the epic sections of the music offering a counterpoint to the nihilism in the lyrics. Binding it all together is the work of UK collage artist JoyPolloi, somehow translating an intangible fifteen minutes of music into a single piece of abstract art, representing the final piece of the WESTON SUPER MAIM jigsaw.
“…technical madness…” – Metal Injection
“…extreme metal at its bone-shaking best, full of spasmic changes and sordid aggression.” – Scream Blast Repeat
“…ferociously heavy, with Meshuggah type angular time signatures, the abstract progressiveness of Car Bomb combined with the concrete welding riffage of Crowbar…simply brutal…and yet, there’s a haunting, eerie feel to it with blasts of melody and more gentle passages that strangely juxtapose comfortably…” – The Razor’s Edge
“Vocalist Seth Detrick sells the tale of a man whose embrace of the world’s negativity leads to the extinction of mankind with conviction, seething through lines like ‘I have showered in your bile/Slipping on your fat.’ It’s not a pleasant story, and Tom Stevens, who handles all the instrumental work, gives a performance that spans from psychotic to chilling. The two of them together give 180-Degree Murder the proper conviction a sinister concept like this should have.” – Heavy Music HQ
“WESTON SUPER MAIM provide the kind of aural catharsis that we all need right now. Jam this as loud and as often as you can.” – This Noise Is Ours
“…a wild, dissonant EP of power and chaos.” – Rockstar Superhero
“WESTON SUPER MAIM showcases eye-watering complexity, savage death metal groove, and unexpected touches of melody. The two tracks (although they flow into one another so may as well be one) that make up this EP are chaotic and intense. However, it’s not noise for the sake of noise.” – Games, Brrraaains & A Head-Banging Life
“Upon hitting play on this two-track EP, you’ll instantly be slapped with Meshuggah, then Car Bomb, then DEP then back to Meshuggah. It’s an addictive mix of influences that they nonetheless manage to make their own.” – A Certain Taste UK
“…a cacophony of hard slabs plus squalling bleeping fretwork, roaring, ground-razing vocals and an air of explosive violence as guttural roars set against the most pulverizing of riffs. Strapping Young Lad is the comparison that comes to mind, but then there’s also the relentless mechanised industrial blast of Wiseblood and Swans that’s also hard to ignore. Oh yes, this is hard and heavy, alright.” – Aural Aggravation
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